FEATURED SPONSORS

Legal Services Jobs Grow, But Barely

Posted by Tania Karas

What seemed like a legal services hiring spree in July slowed to a trickle in August as the industry added just 100 new jobs in the month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s August employment report, released Friday.

Industry hiring has fluctuated for 12 months, from a low in June of 3,800 jobs lost to a high in July of 4,100 new jobs, but year-over-year, the industry added 100 new jobs since August 2010, the BLS reported.

Overall, private sector employment was steady from July to August, with unemployment remaining at 9.1 percent. It was the first time in 11 months that employers did not report a net increase in jobs, according to the BLS. Municipal government jobs declined by 20,000 in August, the BLS reported.

July’s strong performance and August's modest jobs boost may not last long. As the economy slides dangerously close to what could turn into a double-dip recession, Paul Hastings has announced a round of layoffs, the firm said. The 45-person document processing services unit will be eliminated as that work is outsourced over the next five months, a firm spokesman said.